Question

A new and increasingly popular salad bar, that prepares made to order salads and burritos has experienced significant patronage since opening a few short months ago. 'Crunchy Salad' has received a report that indicates customers take up to 20 minutes from walking through the door, ordering and receiving their meal. They have also received feedback, that although they use containers that are 'eco-friendly', the option for customers to provide their own containers would be well received by customers as well as reducing costs

'Crunchy Salad' experiences significant queues of customers during peak periods each day.

To improve its profitability, it has embarked on the following :

a) pre-ordering meals through an app – a customer can select and design their own salad or burrito and select a time and day for pick up.

b) once pre-ordering is completed – customers pay for their meal via a payment gateway (credit card, PayPal, etc).

c) to encourage pre-ordering, meals ordered online will receive rewards points to use on store purchases when a threshold number of point have accumulated.

d) customers who purchase a meal in store and bring their own container, will receive a 10% discount off that meal.

The app also has a product purchasing option. Customers can purchase drinks and take home salad dressings online, pay and pick up their purchases when they collect their meal

Question 1 (2000 words)
Write a well presented report for the above outlining the business operation to the owner of 'Crunchy Salad'. Provide any three recommendations that are well substantiated with journal literature and referenced correctly to support this service. (You may use the reasons/justifications above or use your own – that support this service).

Question 2 (1000 words)
Provide any two suggestions into improving business service/operation offerings substantiated with current literature. These two items have not been mentioned above. An example could be customer service training.

Answer 1

For 'Question 1' :-

To the Owner of Crunchy Salad:
First of all, Congratulations for your great ownership and service. And, the motto of providing good service to the customers of your 'Salad Bar'.
After I gone through your outlines and questions, I would like to provide my three recommendations to support your service.

RECOMMENDATION 1:

Through 'Salad Bar' where you are offering Salads and burritos. When talking about Crunchy Salad, for a normal customer whom they don't use online practices where they will continue to buy crunchy salads through the same daily practices(Walk - Order - Receive) only. In-order to support and provide better service for such customers, where you are following up the eco-friendly scheme and the option of filling up salads in their own containers and particularly that reducing costs. Here, Instead of making those customers to stand in queue during the normal days or peak hours, where we can give them tokens/digital board system and ask them to sit in the lobby, when their food is ready then you could call them with their token number and do service.

RECOMMENDATION 2 :

About PROFITS - When customers order the salads/burritos through app or direct, where you are receiving the profits through your valuable services. Always be sure that, your food items are maintaining its quality and quantity as per the price and standards, like KFC, Dominos, etc. And, not only for the food items even the quality should be maintained in the packaging covers with company logo and details.

RECOMMENDATION 3 :

When the customers booking through Apps payment gateway, be assure that the payment gateway services are always clear and better service to your customers. Have a frequent check! The service you are providing through pre-order packaging-complete are super excited. And the most exited one is offering the 'Reward points' and discounts to make the customer feel overall satisfaction. Keep up the good work.

For 'Question 2' :

SUGGESTION 1 :

More than keeping the customers, its very important to keep the employees. Well! its time for them to feel that satisfaction as well. Provide them dress-code, allocate the shift-timings, if necessary. "Always wear smiles on your face to treat the employees and they follow to treat the customers". Avoid gossips at workplace. Provide necessary training, leave-plan and practical way of company guidelines. Always keep clean inside-out of the salad bar of properly maintaining the garbage and trash bags. On possibilities, try to provide free water to the customers.

SUGGESTION 2 :

Always open and close the shop on time. If requires, provide a security for the shop. Maintain the standards "Whenever and Wherever". All the very best wishes for your future endeavour and success.

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THANK YOU:)